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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26045980">The Challenge</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dindjarindiaries/pseuds/dindjarindiaries'>dindjarindiaries</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cyare'se (One-Shots) [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars, The Mandalorian, The Mandalorian (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol, Drunkenness, F/M, Fluff, Implied Nudity</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:22:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,053</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26045980</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dindjarindiaries/pseuds/dindjarindiaries</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After winning a drinking challenge, Din returns to the Crest much later than expected in a state of mind much different than usual, leaving you to deal with him and whatever words spill from his mouth.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Din Djarin/Reader, The Mandalorian/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cyare'se (One-Shots) [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2247846</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>101</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Challenge</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In all your time spent as a part of Din’s crew and clan—and most recently as his <i>riduur</i>—he’s never been later than expected from a hunt.</p><p>But tonight, he <i>still </i>hasn’t shown, hours after he promised he would.</p><p>You knew you should’ve accompanied him on this one. It’d been burning in your mind ever since he left. Din had said this hunt was going to be particularly difficult, but he’d insisted that he could handle it, and that it was too dangerous to leave the baby alone on this planet. You believed him then, and you still do, but a large part of you—the one who’s fiercely loyal to your husband—wishes you had gone with Din to protect him, because Maker knows what’s happened to him.</p><p>The baby’s been asleep for an hour now and you’ve just been pacing the hull, arms crossed while one hand grips the comlink Din had given you as you wait for something, <i>anything</i>. You’ve been tempted to use it more times than you can keep track of, but Din had urged you not to unless there was an emergency on your end. If there was one on his, he said he’d be the one to reach out. He didn’t want them tracking the comlink back to you and the baby. You know Din would put up with anything to keep that from happening. And that thought scares you.</p><p>But then, you hear the crunching of terrain under familiar boots, and the hatch begins to open on its own—a function only made possible from Din’s vambrace. Your chest floods with temporary relief upon seeing Din, though your heart immediately drops when you see the way he’s practically stumbling towards you. Panic floods through your veins as you run to meet him, instantly fearing the worst as you wrap one of his arms around your shoulders and help him get inside the Crest.</p><p>“Din, what happened?” you question, your voice failing to hide your worry as you close the hatch and look at his drooping helmet. “Did it go bad? Did they hurt you? Why didn’t you use the com—?”</p><p>“<i>Cyare</i>,” Din’s modulated voice finally says—or, rather, <i>slurs</i>. Immediately, your brow wrinkles as you stare at him, wondering why the hell he sounds like that. “<i>Ner kar’ta</i>.” He pulls his arm off your shoulders and instead tries to find your waist with his gloved hands, his body nearly falling against yours as his helmet meets your forehead. “M’missed you, sweet girl.”</p><p>You try not to swoon at the sound of his rasp being so tender and sweet, instead focusing on figuring out what really happened. “We missed you too, Din,” you assure him, voice gentle as you hear him hum with what sounds like delight, “a <i>lot</i>. You were late. I was… I was really worried, <i>riduur</i>.”</p><p>“I like it when you call me that,” Din responds, a clumsy gloved hand making its way to your cheek as he brushes his thumb over it. Again, you have to fight back the swelling of your heart as he acts so sweet and affectionate with you. “M’sorry… got challenged.” You raise an eyebrow before Din continues. “To drink.” Suddenly, it all makes sense, and your lips part in an <i>o </i>of realization as Din chuckles at you. “I won, <i>cyar’ika</i>. I did it for <i>us</i>.”</p><p>You can’t help laughing a bit as you take the hand Din has on your cheek and hold it in yours. “Good job, my love,” you remark—not questioning the logistics of how he drank with his helmet still on. “I’m glad it was nothing serious.”</p><p>“It <i>was </i>serious.” Din sounds playfully angry, his arms crossing over his chest as he tilts his helmet at you. “And I won, <i>cyare</i>. <i>I </i>won.”</p><p>“Yes, and we’re proud of you.” You rest a soft hand on his pauldron. “But now, we’ve got to get you cleaned up and off to bed. I’m sure you’re <i>exhausted </i>from all your victories today, hm, my brave Mandalorian?”</p><p>Din hums yet again in content, this time practically falling into your arms as he nuzzles his helmet in your neck. “I’m your brave Mandalorian?”</p><p>You bite back a laugh and nod, running your hand over his back. “Of course, Din. You always will be.”</p><p>Din pulls you a little tighter to him. “I like being yours, <i>riduur</i>.”</p><p>You beam and shake your head. “I like it too, my love.” You gently ease him back up by the shoulders, gesturing towards the fresher. “Now, let’s get you cleaned up, alright?”</p><p>“M’kay. That sounds… nice.” Din lets you lead him to the fresher, trying to help you as you start taking off his armor piece-by-piece. “Are you gonna get cleaned up too, <i>ner kar’ta?</i>”</p><p>You smile and nod at him. “Mhm.” You take off the helmet last, watching his glazed-over brown gaze adore you as he gives you a small smile in return.</p><p>“Can I help?” Din’s voice is natural now, making his subtle slur even more prominent yet adorable. In this state, his dark eyes look almost just like the child’s whenever he asks for something, and you can’t help giggling at the similarity—even if their father-son relationship isn’t by blood.</p><p>“That’d be lovely, Din.” His eyes glow with joy at your response, and he seems satisfied enough to not say anything as you both get under the water. You work to cleanse him first, running your soap-lathered fingers through his hairs as he closes his eyes in relaxation and satisfaction.</p><p>“That feels good, <i>cyare</i>,” Din informs you lowly, hands grabbing for your waist and securing you in place.</p><p>You leave a gentle kiss on his nose as you continue. “I’m glad.”</p><p>Din lets you finish what you’re doing for him, letting you go once you start to tend to yourself. “I can do it,” he assures you, voice hushed as he reaches for the soap. You just nod and let him try, surprised at the way he’s able to accurately and softly work through your hair. You can’t stop smiling up at him the entire time. This isn’t the first time you’ve been able to share a moment like this, and it’s most definitely not the first time you’ve gotten to see such a tender side of Din, but something about the way he’s working so innocently and muttering to himself in Mando’a—most likely things about how beautiful you are—makes it even more endearing.</p><p>That innocence doesn’t last for very long.</p><p>Almost as soon as you’re out of the fresher and in your room, with you already having helped Din into his more comfortable attire as you slipped on the old tunic of his he’d given you ages ago, it’s like a switch has flipped in him. He saunters over to where you’re standing just next to your makeshift bed and sets his hands on your waist, pulling your body to his as his dark gaze practically devours you. There’s a brief moment of silence as he meets your gaze again, staring at you with some of the most passion you’ve ever seen from him.</p><p>“<i>Gar bid mesh’la, riduur</i>.” His voice is low and it rasps in just the way you like, sending a pleasant shiver through you as his lips brush over yours. “I like you in my shirts. You wear ‘em better.” He pulls away to look in your eyes against, letting his gaze fall to the tunic of his you’re still wearing before he smirks to himself. “Y’know what? I think…” Din steps away from you for a moment to pull the shirt he’s currently wearing over his head, handing the fabric to you, “... m’just gonna give you all of ‘em.”</p><p>You raise an eyebrow as you take it, swallowing hard and trying not to focus too much at the sight of his bare chest. “You won’t be cold?”</p><p>Din chuckles and uses one arm to pull you back to him, his lips grazing your ear as he goes on. “Not when I have you to keep me warm.” You close your eyes and take a deep breath to compose yourself, knowing you can’t let anything happen while he’s in a state such as this, but finding it to be quite the challenge—especially once his lips begin to nibble on that spot just below your ear where he loves to mark you. “Isn’t that right, <i>cyar’ika?</i>”</p><p>You have to bite back a pleasured sigh at his actions, instead tossing the tunic he’d just given you to the side as one hand cards through his hair and the other rests gently on one of his bare shoulders. “Always, <i>riduur</i>. But tonight, you just need sleep, okay?”</p><p>Din pulls away to rest his forehead against yours, pouting in a way that once again reminds you of his little green son. You giggle to yourself at the resemblance. “You make it impossible to rest, <i>ner kar’ta</i>.” He runs a hand over your cheek. “You’re too… intoxicating.”</p><p>“And you’re too <i>intoxicated</i>, my love.”</p><p>You laugh when he gives you a guilty look, finally helping to ease him down onto the bed as you get yourself beneath the blankets. Din instantly melts into your form, his head nestling into your neck as he wraps one arm over your waist and laces the other hand in one of yours. Your free hand brushes through his hair, still damp from the fresher, and his breaths start to come lighter against the skin of your neck. Yet, before he drifts off, he still manages to speak. “<i>Riduur?</i>”</p><p>“Yeah, Din?”</p><p>You can practically feel him smile against your, his hands tightening a bit in yours as he huddles closer to you. “I love you.”</p><p>You beam, leaving a gentle kiss in his hair as you brush your hand over it once again. “I love you too, Din. Now rest.”</p><p>“M’kay.” With that, he pulls you a little closer, and you soon hear his breathing even out into peaceful slumber. You giggle to yourself before joining him, letting his soft breathing soothe you as you do so.</p><p>The next morning, Din wakes before you, and you awaken to the sound of a light groan falling from his lips. You open your eyes to see him pressing a hand to his head, eyes closed as he lays there. You can’t help chuckling a bit, making him open his eyes to look over at you.</p><p>“Regretting that little challenge of yours yet, my brave Mandalorian?” you tease him, voice gentle as you place a hand against his cheek.</p><p>Din grunts at you, yet an amused smile plays on his lips. “I could never regret a victory.” He places his hand over yours, his dark eyes clouding with a bit of hesitance as he continues. “<i>Maker</i>… how annoying was I?”</p><p>You shake your head, giggling as you see Din raise an eyebrow at you. “You weren’t <i>annoying</i>, Din. You were just… you, but intensified.”</p><p>Din furrows his brow. “What the hell does that mean?”</p><p>“It means, you were adorably sweet and tender, and then… well, and then you were almost irresistibly sexy.”</p><p>Din scoffs playfully at that, removing your hand from his face to hold it as he presses his forehead to yours. “Is that so?” he hums. When you nod, he just chuckles. “I wonder how you resisted that.”</p><p>You shrug at him, never looking away from his admiring gaze as a smile creeps on your lips. “I had the promise of today.”</p><p>Din pulls your body fully against his, chuckling again as he raises his brow at you. “I’m not sure I can do much of anything today with this headache, <i>cyar’ika</i>.”</p><p>“That’s alright.” You lean forward to press a sweet yet lazy kiss to his lips, nestling your face in his neck shortly after. “I’ll just lay here with you all day.”</p><p>Din hums in content as he leaves a kiss on your head. “Sounds good to me.” You swear you can hear him smile as his hand begins to gently run through your hair. “I guess I really do have something to thank my drunk self for.”</p><p>You laugh at that, holding Din closer and feeling more content than ever upon knowing you won’t ever have to let go.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>mando’a translations:<br/>riduur = spouse<br/>cyare = beloved<br/>Ner kar’ta = my heart<br/>cyar’ika = darling/sweetheart<br/>Gar bid mesh’la = You’re so beautiful</p></blockquote></div></div>
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